The "We Will Maybe Start Doing Our Jobs Soon" Edition
The "We Will Maybe Start Doing Our Jobs Soon" Edition
The Gowanus rezoning passes, new laws for food delivery workers, more praise for Mo's General, the school vaccine mandate, a short story vending machine, classic steakhouses, and more
Today - Low: 60˚ High: 72˚
Rain in the morning.
This weekend - Low: 60˚ High: 74˚
• The war between the city and food delivery apps continues with a package of bills passed by the City Council this week. The bills mandate a minimum wage per trip, ensures that workers receive tips given through the app, limit how far workers can be asked to ride, grants couriers access to restaurant bathrooms, and more. The bills are expected to be signed by Mayor de Blasio. (Claudia Izarry Aponte for The City)
• Governor Hochul announced that Cuomo's Health Commissioner Howard Zucker will resign. It seems that Hochul is having to flush multiple times to get the Cuomo turds out of Albany. In Hochul’s words "I think I made it very clear on my first day in office that I'd be looking to build a new team and I am building that team." (Caroline Lewis for Gothamist)
• Google is spending $2.1 billion to buy the St. John’s Terminal facility, at the very west end of Houston St. Noted in the purchase is that Google will be giving up some tax breaks in the process, avoiding an Amazon HQ2-esque pushback. (Katie Honan for The City)
• A 16-year-old has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2019 death of Tessa Majors in Morningside Park. (Jen Chung for Gothamist)
• Jollof rice, egusi soup, moi moi, and everything in between. The seven best Nigerian restaurants in the city. (Jiji Ugboma for The Infatuation)
• A unique vending machine is making its home at the Center For Fiction in Brooklyn. With the press of a button, the Short Story Dispenser will print you out a 1, 3, or 5-minute short story for free and will be available starting October 2. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• Real Estate Lust: A $12 million Upper East Side mansion with five levels, a three-car garage, 8,500 square feet of living space, six beds, six baths, a garden, a terrace, and more. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft)
• We are losing the fight against the Spotted Lanternfly. The state instructed everyone to kill them on sight but admits that stomping these bugs out of New York was like "bringing a knife to a gunfight." (Jen Carlson for Gothamist)
• Bushwick Starr, a not-for-profit theater located in Bushwick (duh) was kicked out of its home in June of 2020 so it could be converted into apartments. The new Bushwick Starr will have a home on Eldert St with the opening estimated to be in about a year and the directors have a full season of showed planned for the 2021-22 season at other venues. (Sarah Bahr for NY Times)
• Mayor de Blasio put his foot down when it came to school teachers being vaccinated by September 27 and the shit is about to hit the fan. The teacher and principal unions are pushing against the deadline, saying it could lead to a staffing crisis next week. 87% of teachers are vaccinated. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• What's a deadline? If you're the MTA it's literally nothing. The MTA breezed past the June 30 deadline to provide results of a feasibility study of adding a second entrance to the York St subway stop in Dumbo with literally no word on when they might finish up that work. Must be nice to not give a shit about these kinds of things. (Ben Brachfeld for Politics NY)
• Eleven classic steakhouses in NYC. (Serena Dai, Stefanie Tuder, and Eater Staff for Eater)
• There's a farm and orchard on the roof of the Javitz Center that will grow 40,000 pounds of produce a year. That's a nice tidbit to annoy your friends with the next time you're in the building. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• Photos: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's NYC visit, which includes a group photo with Mayor de Blasio and Governor Hochul that is so painfully awkward that it's the only reason the link is included in this edition. (Matt Troutman for Patch)
• The coolest museums in NYC. #1 will surprise you. No, just kidding. It's the Museum of Interest Things. (Andrea Lopez for Untapped New York)
• More praise for Mo's General, which Brooklyn Magazine calls the pizza slice shop/general store/coffee shop/bakery "the perfect neighborhood spot." (Scott Lynch for Brooklyn Magazine)
• The MTA wants you to know that they plan on enforcing the $50 fine for not wearing a mask on public transit, despite only giving out 41 tickets to date. Imagine publicly announcing that you're gonna start doing your job months after you were supposed to start. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist)
• The rezoning that would allow apartment buildings that would cast a shadow over the Brooklyn Botanical Garden was voted against unanimously by the City Planning Commission. The decision is binding. It doesn't mean that there won't be an apartment building at 960 Franklin, it will be within what's currently allowed. (Gabriel Sandoval for The City)
• The City Planning Commission gave approval of the Gowanus rezoning, which covers from Atlantic Ave to 15th between Fourth Ave and to Bond or Sith St depending on location. It will bring more than 8,000 new apartments to the Superfund cleanup site, 3,000 deemed "affordable," and $150 million in rehabilitation to the nearby NYCHA housing. The cleanup of the canal isn't expected to be completed for at least another decade. (Greg David for The City)
• The five best things to eat at San Gennaro. (Amber Sutherland-Namako for Time Out)
• Real Estate Lust: The $10 “Wolf of Wall Street apartment” in Tribeca, home of the ex-banker who inspired a character in the movie with a backyard patio, jacuzzi, garage, 2,200 square foot roof deck, home gym, theater, sauna, and more. Everything you need to truly live like an asshole. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft)
• The New York City jails saw the 12th death of someone in custody this year. The man who died was being held at the Vernon C. Bain Center, a floating jail barge that is docked just north of the Rikers Island jail complex, which was opened in 1992 as a temporary solution to overcrowding at Rikers. It has since become permanent. (Jonah E. Bromwich and Jan Ransom for NY Times)
• What it's like at Rikers, according to people who just got out. (Rebecca McCray for Curbed)
• Photos from inside Chapel Bar, a new members-only bar inside a 19th-century chapel in Flatiron. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• Seven supersized origami-inspired sculptures are now on display in Midtown Manhattan as part of Hacer: Transformations, the neighborhood’s latest public art exhibit. You can find it on Broadway between 36th and 39th until November 23. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• The most popular and affordable NYC neighborhoods for roommates. Topping the list is Elmhurst, East Flatbush, and Jamaica. (Brick Underground)
• A guide to Black-owned bakeries and sweets shops. (Anna Rahmanan for The Infatuation)
Featured Animal: Stoop Kitty!
Thank you to reader Megan for this photo of a sleepy stoop kitty. Got a pet or animal photo you love? Send it to thebriefly@gmail.com and make the readers of The Briefly smile!
Thank you to the two readers who bought me a coffee since the last edition!
